Editorials|1 September 1937

ADRENAL ATROPHY AS A CAUSE OF ADDISON'S DISEASE

Abstract

Various pathologists1, 2 have drawn attention recently to the increasing frequency with which adrenal atrophy is found as the causative lesion in Addison's disease. It was formerly estimated that atrophy was found in only about 10 per cent of the autopsies of cases of Addison's disease and tuberculosis of the adrenals in the other 90 per cent. However in recent years, as pointed out by Wells,1 series of cases have been reported in which atrophy was found in as high as from 30 to 50 per cent of the instances.